Electronic systems and circuits have made a significant contribution towards the advancement of modern society and are utilized in a number of applications to achieve advantageous results. Numerous electronic technologies such as digital computers, calculators, audio devices, video equipment, and telephone systems have facilitated increased productivity and reduced costs in analyzing and communicating data, ideas and trends in most areas of business, science, education and entertainment. Electronic systems designed to produce these results often include digital video technologies that provide images and audio. Usually, quality video presentations without glitches require sequentially continuous data streams of digital video information.
Video presentations are typically a very efficient way to present significant amounts of information to an audience. For example, videos capture events and occurrences that are presented to people that were not present when the video was taken. Watching and listening to a video of an event or occurrence provides a virtual first hand experience permitting a viewer to form their own impressions about the event or occurrence. The ability to accurately perceive the information is greatly dependent upon the quality of the presentation. Digital video technologies usually have the potential to provide high quality presentations and typically provide significant presentation manipulation capabilities. However, one of the greatest degradations to effective presentation of video information results from glitches or gaps in the streaming of the visual and audio data.
Typically, digital video technologies involve a number of devices arranged in a variety of configurations. Usually, several of the devices have to communicate with each other in order to perform properly. For example, a digital video camera that captures information associated with images and sounds typically communicates the information to a processor for processing and a storage medium for storage. Communications between a digital video camera and other electronic devices usually have to conform to a communication protocol in order for the devices to understand the communicated information.
An organization that specifies standards for the electronics industry is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). One standard the IEEE has promulgated is the IEEE 1394 communication protocol standard, which primarily specifies conventions for high speed serial system communications. Communications transmitted in accordance with the IEEE 1394 communication protocol standard are often communicated between computer systems, audio and video products, printers, scanner products, hard disks (especially raid arrays) and digital video camera recorders. In particular, the IEEE 1394 communication protocol standard is often utilized in the transmission of information associated with digital video technology. Usually, the video data is transmitted in an IEEE 1394 communication protocol compliant isochronous packet.
It is common for a certain percentage of communication packets to be lost or discarded during transmission from a source to a destination. When digital video data is transmitted in accordance with IEEE 1394 communication protocol standards in isochronous packets, the real time digital video data is incorporated in the data-portion of a Common Isochronous Packet (CIP). There are a number of reasons that a communication packet may be lost or discarded such as hardware or processing problems. When a communication packet is lost or discarded, the underlying data (e.g., video information) being communicated is lost or distorted. If the underlying data carried by a lost or discarded communication packet is digital video information, there is usually a resulting glitch or gap (e.g., chopped frames) in the presentation such as a chopped frame or other distortion to the presentation.
Accordingly, what is required is a system and method that reduces adverse presentation impacts resulting from missing digital video information carried in lost or discarded communications packets configured in accordance with IEEE 1394 communications protocol standards.